SEO glossary · W

Word of Mouth Marketing (WOM Marketing)

What is Word of Mouth Marketing?

Word of mouth marketing (WOM marketing) is encouraging customers to recommend a business to others, in conversations, reviews, social media posts and referrals. Recommendations from people we know are among the most trusted forms of marketing.

How to encourage word of mouth

  • Deliver an experience worth talking about: product quality and service come first.
  • Ask for reviews on Google, industry sites and social media, at the moment customers are happiest.
  • Create a referral program: rewards for customers who bring in new customers, such as discounts or credits for both sides.
  • Make sharing easy: shareable content, referral links and ready-made messages.
  • Work with advocates and creators who genuinely like your product.

Referral marketing

Referral marketing is a structured form of word of mouth, where existing customers refer new ones, usually in return for a reward. Track referrals with unique links or codes to see how many customers they bring and what they are worth.

Keep it honest

Recommendations must be genuine. Paying for reviews without disclosing it, or writing fake ones, breaks consumer protection laws and platform rules, and Google removes reviews it detects as fake.

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